Forever Hereafter
by darkroydante
Summary: Cancelled.
1. 1

**(See bottom of page to find out why this is so short/bad/ crappy. I have legitimate reasons, I promise. This chapter was written about 2 years before the next one, attempt to enjoy.) **

Forever Hereafter

(U-1)

The story unfolds in a world far away, but very similar to our own planet Earth, one of three interlocking universes, three separate ideas. Reality bends along these lines, the truth told in one universe is a lie or a false prophecy in the others. Here, in this post-war 'perfect world', our story is set. But not all of the cast resides 'here.' Some of them must travel from an outside 'elsewhere' to reach the 'here.' The physical location used in the following paragraph is a small outskirt city near Tokyo, Japan of this 'here.' A small town of about 13,000 residents, Karakura Town is home to a seaside port industry as well as several of Tokyo's major company headquarters. We enter this world 523 years before the rest of the story, with a current time of 7:49 p.m. as the door of a small convenience store swings open wide, the bright welcome bell chiming in synch with the automatic gate.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Genryusai!" The shopper called back cheerfully, a bag full of groceries clutched in her tiny fists. Turning eastward, away from the fading sun, the small girl figuratively bounced along the marble walkway towards her home. As she walked, humming a happy tune, the girl felt the warm air around her disappear, replaced by stagnant nothingness.

"Rukia Kuchiki." From nothing, the rocky tone spoke, and the girl visibly cringed, looking around for any sign of light. "You have been chosen by the master. Be honored and follow on."

The raven haired female let out a small shriek. "What are you? Where are you taking me?"

"I?" The gravel tone scraped against the air, the young Kuchiki flinching backward in shock. "Am Hollow. So very Hollow." It paused, as if speaking was mentally draining. "Where will we travel? Elsewhere."

(Top layer of the Elsewhere)

"So, Kurosaki is headin' out after the daughter?" Two men stood side by side in a hallway, their surroundings bleached pure white. A faint sound with no source fluttered above their heads. The speaker wore a flamboyant pink coat and straw hat. His partner, a similar but white jacket. Both were gazing intently at the mobile phone on the pedestal before them, the only black in the white, expecting an answer. They never received an answer.

(Near-bottom layer of the Elsewhere)

Breath came to him heavily, his chest heaving to a non-rhythmical beat. The air reached upper billions in temperature, the boy's sweat evaporating before it hit the floor. The walls were a heated putty, forever melting and reforming, reshaping. The ground held the appearance of a cobblestone walkway, but acted like the walls, a tar. In this heated nightmare, Ichigo Kurosaki continually lifted and dropped his feet, the churning ground parting as he walked. He turned down a nearby hallway, then paused by a wood door, catching his breath. He wore a tattered white shirt and faded chalk-colored jeans. His eyes were furrowed, brows knitted, and his mouth in a fixed scowl. No one saw this, vision impeded by a face-covering white mask, with a blue stripe trailing vertically down the center. His right hand gripped the rough cloth that covered his sword's hilt, the rest of the violently twisted weapon slung casually over his shoulder. His left hand, coved by a white glove, turned the metal knob of the door, swinging it open even as he darted inside. The room, in contrast to the red exterior, was a light blue and white combination, with smiling bunnies decorating the walls.

"This is the bottom of Elsewhere, correct?" He questioned the room's inhabitant, his hidden dagger pressed to her neck. The raven-headed girl seized up when he made contact, shivering violently. He lowered the blade and she turned to face him. Ichigo's scowl deepened. Here she was, the Daughter of Lower Elsewhere, the Princess of Hell.

"Lady Kuchiki?" He asked, and she nodded her head. "Oh good," he continued, grabbing her wrist, "Lady, I'm here to kidnap you, thought you'd like to know."

Rukia's, this was in fact the same girl from before, mind froze as she was dragged along down the halls. Half a century later, and she had a chance to get out of Hell, only to be kidnapped again. 'The irony.' She spoke.

"Hey you, tall guy," It was true. Her kidnapper was almost six feet, and she barely reached five, "Thanks for uhh… kidnapping me, but who are you?"

The carrot-headed man grunted, dragging her through another hallway maze. "Why do you care, you demon-midget?" His tone was sarcastic, very disrespectful. At this point, Rukia felt herself get angry. She kicked him in the back of the leg roughly, jumping away. He yelped in annoyance.

She glared at him darkly, arms crossed over her chest. He grabbed her wrist more tightly, marching onwards. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, like I said, I'm taking you away."

Rukia tried not to laugh, afraid he would cut her with the knife. Or that huge blade on his back "Well then, Strawberry, you can let go of me, I can walk by myself." She ignored his grunt. "Thanks for helping me though, I never thought I'd be saved."

Ichigo would have stopped, but that went against his training. "What do you mean, saved? You sick of being a princess or something, demon?"

"I am not a demon." She hissed, as they approached Ichigo's entry point, far away from the fortress's main gate. "I'm a human girl, thank you very much for asking."

Ichigo snorted his reply, helping her through the hole. As he passed her through and attempted to step though himself, she noticed a flickering shape behind her savior.

"Ichigo!" She shrieked, watching the shape draw a silvery piece of metal. Without hesitation, Ichigo grabbed the long hilt on his back and lifted the massive cleaver, twirling it aloft as he spun, breaking the assassin's dagger and ripping through plate armor. The man fell back and Ichigo used his cloak to clean the sword, sheathing it. Without speaking, he turned and heaved himself out of the room, landing next to the girl.

He tore off his mask and threw it behind him, breathing in fresh air. Taking her arm, gently now, he led her around the predominantly red courtyard and into a swirling white gate.

(Top Layer of the Elsewhere)

"Not only did she leave voluntarily, she probably saved me." Ichigo finished his report, nodding to the short girl sitting tightly bound on the floor.

The pink clothed man removed his straw hat from his head, placing it in his lap. "So, what do you suggest we do with her, Ichigo? Can she be used to draw out the Demon King?"

"No, my Lord." Ichigo shook his head. "The girl is still only human, and she's been through enough already. I vote we let her return to Earth, and live normally."

The King grinned, waving a hand. "Well, you can take her back then. Good job on the mission, Ichigo." Ichigo grinned back and nodded, untying the small girl hurriedly. She flashed him a thumbs-up then stood and bowed to the seated men.

"Thank you for helping me. I hope you have a good day." They laughed, turning over another piece of paper. Ichigo smiled faintly, following her out.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna escort you back home now, Mi'lady." Ichigo said quietly, looking away. Rukia smiled, punching his shoulder lightly.

"You idiot, I've been away for over 500 years, I never said I wanted to go back." Ichigo stared, open-mouthed, his eyes wide. The huge sword still on his back made this scene very comical to the short girl.

"You want to stay here?" She nodded, her face reddening slightly.

"Don't get your hopes up, Strawberry. I'm not here for you, you know." Ichigo smiled, running a hand through and messing up her hair.

"Whatever Rukia. C'mon, I'm hungry and it's past lunchtime." They both headed out the massive white doors, which closed behind them with a bright yellow light.

(Back inside)

"I'm sure he'll be happier now." The white haired man began, looking up from his papers. The man in the pink yawned lazily, his paperwork scattered around his desk.

"Yeah, I guess so." He laughed, and then yawned again. "Rukia, you played your small part in this game well…. I suppose it'll once again be up to you to guide Ichigo forward. May Fate guide your heart, and safe be your journey." As he spoke, a silver orb flashed before his eyes, then faded back into nothingness.

**(-)**

**And there we have the slightly altered rendition of Forever Hereafter. In between writing the disaster wreck that is Soul Guardian, I decided two years was a long enough wait. Time to turn the one-shot into the 'full' story I promised. Essentially, it's a 3-part web of connected one-shots and minor plot. I decided to not update this chapter like I had originally planned, since... I'm the author. I can do crap like that. **

**The writing for this chapter, as I originally stated, was a 10th grade paper that begged fro a knight in shining armor rendition of Bleach. And then Rukia's plot bunnies invaded. The rest of the stories, I hope, will answer some questions posed in this chapter, and secretly convert you to Ichi/Ruki fanboy/girl. **

**No, seriously, if you like this story, and your buddy is an IchiRuki hater, link them to this. I fully support this epic pairing of adorableness.**

**That is all, thank you for your time. **


	2. 2

Forever Hereafter

(U-2)

"So that's what this all was, Ichigo?" It was a terrifying voice, an enraged, heartbroken teenage girl. "You've been using me? I really thought you lov.." The raven haired young woman reared back her hand, and let out an animalistic shout. Her palm rushed forward, slamming heavily into flesh. His hand reached up to his face, flinching as he touched the stinging skin of his cheek. He looked downward into her tear-strained eyes, his heart cracking open wide. Kurosaki Ichigo stuffed his hands into his pockets, biting his lip.

"I trusted you, more than my brother, more than anyone else in the world." She ran her arm rapidly over her eyes, sniffling. "You've been canceling and skipping every other time we plan to get together. All I've asked you to do is tell me what's bothering you, what you're holding back. Be honest with me." Her eyes flashed, her voice rose until the rest of the school could hear them. "And you tell me this absolute _bullshit_! I cannot believe you, Kurosaki! Just tell me you've lost interest, or that I'm not hot enough for you. But no, now you are a Shinigami? Really? Dammit Ichigo!" The petite girl spun around, her school skirt twirling as she moved, and bolted out of the doors. Ichigo stood still, fighting the urge to rush after her, to convince her.

But it was hopeless, he knew it already. Rukia was a fiery young woman, probably a reason he liked her so much. She wouldn't listen to him when she was pissed; and she was hell-bent furious right now. He almost smiled, but it was a shallow attempt; his heart and chest ached. Slinging the briefcase over his shoulder, he let out a heavy breath and trudged slowly out the same set of doors.

(-)

"Kurosaki-kun. I've instructed you to wrap up the candies, not to sit around, dreaming about that little angel of yours!" Ichigo twitched, that would be Urahara, his snake of a boss. While the old man hobbled about, scaring off customers; Ichigo actually ran the store, getting paid very little to do the most ridiculous odd jobs ever created. But he could not quit. Urahara, retarded as he was, was Ichigo's only link to his actual job.

Urahara's shop actually contained a small device that was programmed to re-located it's user to Upper-Elsewhere. Basically, it could be called Heaven, but its technical term was derived from a millennium-old war. Ichigo was one of the latest recruits in an eternal organization known as the Gotei. By extracting souls of spiritually-aware and powerful humans, the program, dubbed the Shinigami after the original fighters, trained men and women who could carry on the endless fight against the Deprived. These creatures, black spirits who feasted on human souls, are enhanced and mutated versions of an extinct species, the Hollow. This major shift had all begun after the Cataclysm, the ancient war fought between the First Gotei 13, and the traitorous captain, Aizen Sousuke.

Aizen won the war, after exterminating nearly all the Shinigami, including one of Ichigo's ancestors, supposedly one of the strongest fighters that liv…. existed. That man actually inspired the Shinigami program, and many recruits still strive to match his Transcendent-like level of strength. Urahara found and recruited Ichigo, and was still his trainer, even after graduating the program. The old man believed that it was possible Ichigo could match his ancestor's strength, if he could ever communicate with his zanpakuto to awaken shikai. Urahara always kept a close eye on him, confessing once in one of their more sober conversations, that he believed Ichigo could actually be a reincarnation of his ancestor, praying with his whole heart that Zangetsu could be re-awakened… and to a lesser extent, the Hollow half of Zangetsu as well.

"Oi! Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo glanced up from the mound of wrapped candy, eyes wandering slowly to the shopkeeper. Urahara stood in the entryway, a small black phone dangling loosely in his grip. "A Deprived on the loose, last spotted near that upper-class neighborhood right outside Kuchiki Inc. Are you up for it?"

Ichigo leapt upright, stuttering. "O… Of course I am! Hurry up and change me!" Urahara obliged happily, smashing the tip of Benihime into the Shinigami's skull. Ichigo's body fell limp, his soul stumbled back a step before he regained his balance. With a quick nod to his boss, he dashed towards the entrance of the shop, blinking from existence.

(-)

"Where the _hell_ is this thing?" The black robed teen slid to a halt, amber eyes roaming freely; his reiatsu senses on high alert. But so far nothing, there was no Deprived anywhere. 'But…' Hi senses picked up a small energy spike that quickly vanished. It wasn't an uncommon energy; it was actually the despair in a human's soul becoming a power source. The human was either very upset, or incredibly angry. It was these negative emotions that attracted the Deprived, their main source of food. Along with the tasty human releasing the emotional power, of course.

A high pitched scream.

'Of course.' Ichigo grimaced, pinpointing the sound.

It was a girl, coming from the famed 'Mansion Street' where only the richest of the rich resided…

Human girl, strong negative emotions, rich neighborhood, near Kuchi…..

"No, Ru… Rukia." The boy's eyes flashed, and he hurtled himself towards her house, roaring like an animal.

Sure enough, as he approached, he could feel the intense sadness….and a feeling of cold dread. The hollow feeling given off by the Deprived. Without pausing to think, he planted his foot heavily on the ground, pushing himself airborne. He didn't care if anyone would have noticed that, Shinigami spirits were invisible to humans. His gaze tore around the room, pausing at a black shape on the bed. His hand, which had been tightly clamped to his Zanpakuto Imprint, fell limp.

Gazing at him humorously was Rukia, eyes colored their stunning violet hue. Her breath came out in small black bursts, the expelled mist being freely absorbed again by her skin, which had grown even paler since he had last seen her. As Ichigo watched, horrified, the girl opened her mouth wide. A thin black chain came slithering out, twitching like a living being. After hovering spastically in the air for a moment, the chain curled inwards and hurtled towards Rukia, impaling her through the chest.

Blood flooded out from the wound, turning the bed sheets a sticky red, and she fell over limp; her life fading quickly. Ichigo's transfixed look of shock transferred down to his pulsing zanpakuto.

'That's it.' The rational part of his mind spoke up. 'It's becoming a Stage 2 Deprived. An Imprint Zanpakuto is not strong enough to cut that chain. You've failed her once again, Ichigo.' It let out a sigh, and a giggle, and Ichigo was stunned to a frozen state of shock. That voice wasn't his own, but it spoke from his head. 'You've lost her, Ichigo…. Unless you think you can wield a real sword, as opposed to that imitation blade you're holding. Then, you could tear apart that chain, save your honey-girl over there." It cooed softly into his ear. 'C'mon, say my name. Let me out. Let _us_ out.'

Like a seal being torn, Ichigo's emotional state broke through the doubt that repressed his power. His scream was heart-tearing: rage, horror, helplessness.

"SHOUT!" His skin tingled, a wave of pure blue reiatsu pouring from every fiber of his soul, the ends of the cerulean fire dancing along the silver katana blade.

"ZANGETSU!"

(-)

Approximately a mile away, at a certain shop, a blond haired old man was hunched over, his gnarled fingers wrapping up the last of the candies in their packages. His eyes flicked up sharply, just in time to catch the end of the sonic boom as it smashed through his body, tearing his striped hat from his head. He retrieved his had, then stood slowly.

"Well, hot damn."

Whistling, he returned to his work, ignoring the ring of the black phone.

(-)

The first thing she saw was pure amber, then an obnoxiously bright shade of orange. Wincing, she placed a delicate hand over her eyes, sitting up. That hair color could only belong to one person… Well, two, but she was fairly certain Orihime didn't often scowl like it was going out of fashion.

"Ichi…go?" Her voice was hoarse, but she felt energized, almost strengthened. Looking up into his face, her cheeks dusted a light red. He stood by her bed, wearing a strange set of black robes, a bandaged….thing…. strapped to his back. She held his gaze, breathless. They had changed, a scorching wave of blue hid behind the gentle amber. And past that, a blood-red lake, pressed against the icy-black sky. Rukia blinked, the last hour hitting her like a freight train pulverizing a small squirrel.

"Ichigo…. You…. What are you? How did you get here? Why did you come? What happened to me?"

The Kurosaki boy could only laugh quietly, embracing her. She stiffened, shivering from the contact.

"I'm a Shinigami, Rukia, just like I told you." She met his gaze, and this time, she saw a spark of truth. He smiled, and her amethyst eyes moistened. Without another moment's hesitation, she threw herself into his hug, sobbing openly.

"I'm…so sorry. This is all my fault, if had liste..."

"Hey, hush." He patted her cheek softly. "It was a lot to take in; I didn't think you would believe me anyw.." He trailed off, his thumb slipping from her warm cheek.

Ichigo swore, and Rukia pulled back in surprise. "Ichigo… what's wrong?"

He swore once again, louder. And then a third time.

His eyes turned to her, and without a word, he pulled her off the bed by her wrist and dragged her out of her room. "I'm a Shinigami. A spirit warrior fighting the bad-guys, essentially. Normal people can't see me, or hear me. You're probably an exception, because of what just happened to you… but…." He trailed off, his voice anxious. "You shouldn't be able to touch me. Only a spirit can physically touch another spirit. You'd have to be…."

He glanced at her, and she gulped loudly, realizing, but dreading the answer.

"Dead."

**(-)**

**Well, you've waited...a year and a half? Two years? I'm not a very fast writer; this is 2 for 2 stories recently resurrected form a year-long slumber. I hope it was worth the wait, but as always, I have my doubts. So, like? Hate? Confused? Review! It's the only answer, really.**

**Well, no, I lied. Chocolate is also always an answer, but we, alas, cannot e-share chocolate, so review comes in first place by default.**


End file.
